Chapter 31 #2
Dani stiffens in my lap, the bond funneling to her what I feel.
Her body goes rigid with tension. My fingers gently caress her inner thigh's smooth, supple skin.
The feel of her soft, warm flesh beneath my palm helps to calm the rage simmering inside me, grounding me in the moment.
But I swear, if this smug bastard calls her "Honey Pot" one more fucking time, I'm going to snap and rip his goddamn tongue out.
I narrow my eyes at Lucian, "Tabula rasa, huh? More like tabula dumb-assa in your case, dipshit. Fresh start? You're still the same irritating prick, memories or not. The only difference is now you've got an excuse for being an even bigger pain in the ass."
Lucian, not one to back down from a challenge, leans forward with a grin like a fucking lunatic "Tabula dumb-assa?
Oh, that's rich coming from a tight ass like you, Captain Broody McBroodington.
You're just jealous that I get to start over with a clean slate while you're stuck with that giant stick up your ass. "
He taps his temple, his grin widening, "See, the way I figure it, losing my memories is like hitting the jackpot. No more angsty flashbacks, no more guilt trips over shit I can't change. It's like a get out of jail free card but for my brain."
Erik exhales heavily beside me, his stoic demeanor briefly interrupted as he takes a long pull from his mug of ale. "It appears that even without your memories, you two persist in engaging in this inane, fucking bickering like a pair of petulant children."
Lucian winks, blowing me a mocking kiss, "You don't say? Well, I've got plenty of new ways to be a pain in his brooding, self-righteous ass." Nodding towards me. "It's a talent, really."
"Alrighty, boys, let's all take a deep breath and pop a chill pill, shall we? As much as I love watching this testosterone-fueled pissing contest, we've got more pressing matters to discuss," Dani says, with that signature sass.
I take a moment to compose myself, pressing a soft kiss to Dani's arm as I lean back in my chair.
I watch as Izabelle unwinds herself from Gideon like a fucking snake, sauntering toward Lucian with her tits practically spilling out of her dress.
"Well, I find you just fascinating, lad," she purrs, planting her ass right on Lucian's lap and curling her arms around his neck like she's marking her territory. "Mind if I sit, Sailor?"
Lucian looks disgusted, and all the men at the table grumble—clearly not impressed with her cheap act.
Dani rolls her eyes so hard I'm surprised they don't fall out of her fucking head. "If it isn't the port's most popular porthole," she sneers, with disgust.
Izabelle glares at Dani, her face twisting into an ugly scowl. "What's the matter, landlubber? Jealous?"
Dani scoffs. "No, sweetheart, I just know my friend here has more standards than you have goals. News flash, bitch: he's not interested in whatever STDs you're peddling."
Izabelle stands up like she's about to throw down, but Dani keeps herself down on my lap, cool as a fucking cucumber. I wrap my arm around her waist, my fingers digging into her hip possessively.
"Sit the fuck down, Izabelle," Orion stands, blocking her path like a human wall. "Go be a good whore and scuttle back to whatever rat-infested bilge you crawled out of. I'm sure there's a line of drunken sailors just waiting to plunder your treasure chest."
"Fuck you, Seaborn." Izabelle spits as she turns and walks away.
Dani tries to hide her laugh. Lucian's just sitting there with a shit-eating grin on his face, clearly enjoying this fucking circus.
"Seaborn," Gideon growls, warning. "That be enough out of ye."
Orion plops his ass back down in his chair. He swipes his drink off the table, the glass scraping against the worn wood, and takes a long swig. The smirk on his face says he doesn't give two shits about Gideon's warning.
I can't help but admire the guy's balls, even if I want to punch him in his smug face. He's got that easy confidence from knowing he can handle whatever comes his way.
"Look, I know you're all bursting with questions," Dani says, her voice collected despite our simmering tension. "Let's address the elephant in the room—or should I say, the Sea Witch in the ocean."
I feel a flicker of dread at her words, a cold, creeping fear that crawls up my spine and settles in the pit of my stomach. But I force myself to listen, to focus on her words even as the alcohol and the lust and the fucking relief of having her back cloud my mind.
She tells us everything about Calypso's demands, the Siren's Lyre, and the impossible task ahead of us. With every word, I feel myself sobering up, the haze of drunkenness fading away to be replaced by a cold, brutal clarity.
"She just let you go?" I ask, my voice rough and skeptical. "Just like that?"
Dani nods, her eyes meeting mine. "For now," she says softly. "I have to hold up my end of the bargain."
I feel a prickling sense of unease run down my spine that has nothing to do with the alcohol still coursing through my system. Because if Calypso is willing to let Dani go, even temporarily...
Then there's no telling what kind of fucked up game she's playing or what kind of danger my mate might be walking into when the time comes.
"Wait, what bargain?" I ask, my voice low and rough.
Dani holds up her wrist and shows us all a bracelet that looks like a bunch of seashells. "Coral Pact," she says as if that explains everything.
Lucian, ever the fucking smart ass who never knows when to shut the fuck up, "Oh yeah, Little Miss Sunshine here made a deal with the sea-bitch herself, didn't you, Honey Pot?
To get this magical Lyre thingy— All to save my magnificent, shapely ass from having my heart ripped out and used as a fucking paperweight.
Because you're head over fins in love with me, admit it.
I mean, who wouldn't be?" he gestures dramatically to himself.
"I've got a feeling we're about to be in deeper shit than a whale's colonoscopy. "
A growl builds in my throat, my hands squeezing Dani's hip. "She's not a fucking Honey Pot," I snarl, my eyes narrowing as I glare at my brother. "Stop calling her that."
Memory loss or not, this fucker needs to learn his goddamn place.
But Lucian grins, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Ooh, did I hit a nerve, tough guy?" he taunts.
"Struck too close to home? Because... damn," he licks his lips obscenely, "she tastes like fucking heaven, doesn't she?
Sweet, like honey—addictive, better than any blood we've ever had.
What's wrong, big guy? Pissed that I got a taste of your girl?
Or just pissed that I can describe her better than you can? "
The table goes dead silent. Erik slowly rises from his chair, bracing for the shitstorm that's about to go down. Gideon and Orion swipe their mugs off the table and scoot back, their chairs screeching across the floor.
It hits me like a goddamn sledgehammer. The realization that Lucian would've needed Dani's blood to cross over with her. And from the way he's talking, the fucker took it straight from the source.
And I fucking snap!